6. SWADESHI AT HEART and LOVING IT!

I wore a saree for the first time in Class VI. Mom draped it around me while I stood stiffly, simply unable to decipher how to behave. I remember it had a plain purple body with a light and dark purple chequered border. Mom’s sleeveless blouse fitted me as if she had stitched it for me. The second time was at the Class X farewell party. I had a ‘bob-cut’ and walked like a man. Mom, after draping her pink satin saree around me, requested me to ‘please walk gracefully’. I guess it was quite a task for me at that point of time. Not anymore!

All said and done, at the end of the day, a traditional ensemble makes me feel regal, whether it’s a saree or a mekhela-sador! After all, I could never disguise the Indian in me. Mom gave me my first mekhela-sador when I was in Pre-University. The mekhela was woven in white checks on a blue base and the sador was plain with a similar design as the mekhela on the pallu. It was hand-woven Andhra cotton and so comfortable that I wore it for many many years.  I still have it. Mom stitched me the most amazing blouse ever with this mekhela sador.

Over the years, I have literally gone over the top buying mekhela-sadors and sarees. I have a huge collection and it is only getting more humungous by the day. I love shopping at trade fairs and haats. They have some of the best collections. When I go to trade fairs, I pick up at least six pairs of mekhela-sadors at a time. This time I bought a green and purple combination mekhela-sador with woven jaari, then a burnt sienna woven in jaari work, a royal blue again with woven jaari and a plain off-white cotton mekhela-sador with a striped border. The choices are awesome and I only wonder when I get to go next to a trade fair or a haat.

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A year back, I got close to a contemporary designer of sarees and she designed for me five exclusive mekhela-sadors,  which were pretty much over the top compared to the ones I was used to wearing. But I loved each one of them. They were royal and the blouses my designer got stitched for me was more than what I would have ever asked for.

In addition to all the known designers I pick my sarees and mekhela-sadors from, I also pick up from lesser known yet innovative designers and they do a really good job!